Heavy woods slow progress in West Spokane death investigation

Spokane detectives are working in a heavily wooded area in West Spokane to investigate a severely decomposed body found by children Sunday in West Spokane.

The children discovered the heavily decomposed body just before 5 p.m. near the intersection of Milton and 14th Avenue

The investigation is progressing deliberately, in part because of the dense vegetation in the vicinity of where the body was found. The crime scene spans only about a block, but due to the tangled woods where the body was found detectives have had a difficult time getting to the scene.

Detectives had to resort to cutting a path through the woods to get to the crime scene.

Because the body was found in a state of advanced decomposition detectives can't say if the body was of a man, woman, adult or a child.

Detectives are searching the missing persons database to see if they can find any link to this body.

"We always do that whether we recover a body from the river, or you know a wooded area or a vacant lot, we always look through missing persons reports and tips and anything else," Spokane Police Lieutenant Joe Walker said.

Neighbors speculate that the woods where the remains were found is frequented by transients.

An autopsy is scheduled for Tuesday to help determine both cause of death as well as identify who the remains belong to.